Berner Middle School

50 Carman Mill Road

School District

Massapequa Union Free
Grade

6-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:9
Type

public

School Map for Massapequa Union Free School District

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by other on November 10, 2024

I went to Berner from 2017-2019 and it was an absolute nightmare. I would dread coming to school everyday because of not only the other kids bullying me but also the rude staff. I tried reaching out for help from the guidance counselor and the social worker but they would rarely be there in their offices or would turn me away, when my mom tried to contact them they would not get back to her. The few times they met with me, they would tell me that I would just have to deal with being in classes with my bullies and to "get over it" which made me feel extremely alone. In addition to the bullying, there were fights in the hallway nearly everyday and students would vape in the bathrooms which is crazy considering some of the students were only 11. I got a decent education, some of the teachers were nice and seemed to care but others were rude but you'll get that at any school. Overall, my experience here was awful. If your kid goes here or is going to go here in the future please make sure you check in on them and give them any support they may need because they are probably not getting it at school.
Submitted by parent on July 08, 2024

My child went here as was learning at a grade level below where they should've been. They were also exposed to sextual acts in the bathrooms.
Submitted by parent on June 06, 2024

terrible school, only filled with drugs racism and crime
Submitted by parent on May 24, 2023

The amount of activities at this school are amazing, the schedule block they provide students with is fantastic. To state it's bad because it lacks diversity is a vacuous statement. The core of this school is great and it's what you make of it as a student. My children love it here and no I would not recommend the neighboring Amityville over here like someone below said. They clearly don't know that the Amityville district has teachers leaving and class sizes exploding. Do your research. I highly recommend this school!!!
Submitted by parent on May 31, 2020

The school over-all is good. The teachers are great and care about the students- grades matter here, but the lack of diversity in this school is not only offensive but quite disturbing. This day in age, with 5 elementary schools merging into one middle school how on earth does this school have such low percentage with diversity. Not only does that not help other children understand there are different cultures and different people in the world but it sets a bad tone to what a child’s perception is and does not prep your child for the real world.
Submitted by parent on September 14, 2019

Good the teachers are very nice , the after school clubs are a great idea
Submitted by parent on January 11, 2019

It's going downhill. A few decades ago Massapequa was considered one of the best districts on Long Island, but times sure have changed...there are fights in the hallway almost everyday now. Parents in this community just don't care anymore, and the few that do are switching to private school in droves. Everyone knows, if you care about education, then you DON'T send your kids to Massapequa Public Schools!
Submitted by parent on July 15, 2018

It really a sad state of affairs that one of the best school districts on Long Island chose to create the largest middle school and then not provide the proper supports fir such a huge population of children. The staff/teachers are certainly caring and qualified for the most part but the leadership and willingness/ability to deal with special needs children is practically non-existent. If you child is bullied? Good luck. With my child there has been no response.
Submitted by parent on March 28, 2018

Just don't! Don't send your kids here! Massapequa is an okay town but the school district is just AWFUL! Unfortunately we can't afford private school, so we will be moving to another district. My son used to LOVE school but now he dreads it, mostly due to bullying from children who have well-connected parents and lazy teachers. A teacher at a conference told me straight to my face that she didn't care how my son did in her class because she had tenure and can't be fired "no matter what". Avoid at all costs.
Submitted by parent on December 11, 2017

These are some of the worst teachers that I have ever encountered. Avoid this school at all costs! Most parents who have children attending this school will completely understand what I am talking about. The faculty and administrators clearly do not care about the children attending this school. If you have a problem with a teacher, or more than likely, teachers, you can forget receiving any help from the Guidance Office, or any other administrative department. The teachers working here are there for one reason, MONEY, and that is all. The lack of help, or even the slightest compassion for the children attending Berner, is a total reflection of the faculty culture ar this school. Again, if you care about your child's education, don't send them to this school.The entire faculty ( with very few exceptions) from the principal down, should be be fired. They are a disgrace to the position of educator.
Submitted by parent on June 09, 2017

Berner is amazing. My kid used to not be into sports and was pretty shy but this school brought the best out of him.
Submitted by other on March 20, 2017

Honestly, going into Berned, I thought school was going to be great. I imagined the freedom of getting to choose classes, the thrill of becoming something more, etc., but I was outright disappointed. The teachers just did not care about anything (except like two of my teachers...out of the 25+ I had over the two years), the administration did little to nothing about things like bullying, and the student body was absolutely terrible. I wouldn't be lying if I said I started bombing all of my classes just because I hated school so much. The only reason why I got up and out of bed and on the bus in the morning was because I wanted to see my friends and wanted to attend my music classes.Enough about the cons...here are some pros:-Music department is well developed-Sports and PE are biggies (and also well developed)-Wide variety of classes-special ed program is pretty good
Submitted by parent on April 29, 2016

Awful! Avoid this school at all costs! Snide teachers, unresponsive administration, excessive memorization testing, etc. My oldest had a terrible experience here and we ended up moving to Amityville where my two younger sons had much better experiences in middle school.
Submitted by other on December 28, 2015

Terrible! Just terrible! A lot of rules are not enforced. The administration at Berner Middle School is snobby and so are many teachers. The students are poorly behaved and getting worse every year. This school is not what it used to be. Massapequa is really going downhill.
Submitted by parent on March 26, 2015

I have had 3 kids go through this school so far, 2 out of 3 had issues. My one daughter that had anxiety issues was basically pushed out of the school because they were unable to help her. My second child was bullied for months of which they did not believe. She had been pushed into lockers the dean was to review video and let us know and they never did. We asked on more than one occasion. By the time they were willing to help her she no longer could go to school. Now it is up to my husband and I to drug her up and take her to therapy all because they dropped the ball again!!!
Submitted by other on November 09, 2014

I went here recently. Simply put, it was an upgrade from elementary school. I always found school easy, so if you are smart middle school is a breeze. You get a lot more freedom than elementary school with changing classes and better lunches. PE is also a lot of fun! They have a great music program if you play an instrument/vocal. Most of the sports teams are Ok/Above average.
Submitted by other on July 28, 2012

It was Ok. Teachers are good. In 7th grade I had one or two that weren't that great and kinda mean, 8th grade was fine. Extracurricular activities were great (I loved Science Olympiad). However, in all seriousness, BMS and the district as a whole don't need to put in my that much effort in to be such good schools. The districts population is made-up of middle, upper-middle, and even quite a bit of downright wealthy families who can get their kids to love learning. The school district's impoverished, special, ed, and limited English proficient student populations are all quite low, so the school doesn't have as much students that can hinder academic standings as most other do. The actual student population of the school was the worst: Jersey Shore wanna-bes and many self-centered athletes that were afraid of other cultures and could be quite snobby. This school. teacherwise, was great but I'm glad I moved to a new district that actually has a little cultural diversity, which BMS and the rest of the district really needs. Believe me, the '12 MHS val was very very one-of-a-kind. But hopefully there will be more pequans like her in the future. I attended this school from 2009 to 2011
Submitted by teacher on May 22, 2010

A great place to send your kids, without a doubt. As a teacher, Massapequa is a district that is notorious for hiring based on "who you know". The teachers are very good, but it is tough if one is not one of the administration's "favorites". The administrators at BMS are not very effective at all. The Dean's office, by comparison, is exceptional. The staff is very hard working, dedicated to helping both student and teacher to solve problems.
Submitted by student on November 06, 2008

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Submitted by parent on June 02, 2008

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